During a meeting of the European Commission, Portugal will propose changing the mandate of the European Union (EU) training mission, in view of the withdrawal of the province of Cabo Delgado from the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM).
Speaking on Tuesday 13 February from Rwanda, where he is on a working visit, the Portuguese Minister for Foreign Affairs, João Gomes Cravinho, explained that the idea is to extend the mandate of the European mission for longer, in order to make it more comprehensive.
“With the experience we have gained and also with the change in reality, due to the departure of SADC troops, we are going to propose a renewal of the mandate of the EU training mission and a change in its period so that it is more comprehensive,” he said.
According to the government official, SAMIM has already begun its withdrawal operations and will have left the northern operational theatre by June, “which will leave a certain vacuum. That’s why we’re thinking about how to continue supporting Mozambique and prevent terrorists from taking advantage of the opportunity.”
Cravinho said that Rwanda is a very important partner for Portugal and, at the same time, a country that pays a lot of attention to the African continent and is currently a key player in scenarios where the Portuguese military is committed to helping, such as Cabo Delgado.
Since July 2021, Rwanda has had an autonomous military force deployed to combat the terrorism that has plagued the north of the country for more than six years, operating in conjunction with the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces.
For its part, Portugal took command of the EU Training Mission in Mozambique (EUTM-MOZ), which began in September 2022 and has a two-year mandate.
